Hi all.  As expected temps got in the 20s last night and wreaked havoc on unprotected inground trees.  The crown has begun to wilt since.  The two smaller Kadota trees that I wrapped are fine.  I wasn't about to cover the two larger trees for one night.  Shame it's supposed to be 70 tomorrow!

My question is:  Does the freeze simply cause the tree to go dormant, or has exposure to trees showing no signs of dormancy sure to cause dieback?  I don't mind if the freeze initiated dormancy but will be very upset to learn if it triggers dieback being that the trees haven't yet hardened off for dormancy.  Please educate me!  Thanks.

EDIT:

I just took a closer look and all of the buds and figs seem unharmed.  The damage is confined to the "crispy" leaves only.  Is that a good sign?  Funny that the geraniums, roses, pansies, petunias, and mandevilla remained unscathed especially since some of theses are considered "tropical" species. I

It really stinks when you have one overnight freeze during a mild Fall to ruin things.  Being that the mild weather is supposed to remain, I don't plan on covering them anytime soon.  Here are some pictures:


 
   
 

Yes, this is totally normal.  These light freezes are actually a good thing as they send the message to the tree that it is time to go dormant.  Once the tree is dormant it can withstand much colder temps without sustaining damage.  A really hard freeze prior to a tree going dormant can cause cold damage but that doesn't seem to the be the case for your tree.

Leaves are much more tender than branches. Wilted leaves are probably not an issue. As long as tips are green and wood is plump, you are good.

Great!  Thank you all for your supplies.  I agree that only the leaves suffered from the freeze.  Again, it's a real downer when this happens and then the forecast shows no freezing temps for the next 10 days! 

It's going to be a real challenge wrapping these two this winter as they are fairly tall (about 5'5") and wide!